Doha Sets Suleiman as Post-Tribeca Artistic Advisor

The Doha Film Institute has appointed Palestinian director Elia Suleiman as its artistic advisor, in a clear sign that the Doha Film Festival, which it runs, is rethinking its identity after recently severing ties with Tribeca.

“First and foremost, Elia’s bedrock credentials as a greatly admired director are invaluable to DFI in its mission to develop and support emerging filmmakers all over the world,” DFI CEO Abdulaziz Al Khater said in a statement.

“We know from his films that, along with his filmmaking precision, Elia has a playfulness about him, a keen sense of the absurd. I think his particular worldview and his unbounded passion for exciting new ideas will provide real inspiration,” added Al Khater.

The DFI topper will soon announce details of his vision for the fest in its post-Tribeca era.

Suleiman, whose works have often touched on the Isreali-Palestinian situation, sometimes with surreal comic tones, is known for “Divine Intervention,” “The Time That Remains,” and “Chronicle of a Disappearance.”